Djibouti is one of the few remaining countries in which the national telco, Djibouti Telecom, has a monopoly on all telecom services, including fixed lines, mobile, internet and broadband. The lack of competition has meant that the market has not lived up to its potential.

Morocco has developed one of the most advanced telecommunications markets in Africa, supported by the government’s Maroc Digital 2020 strategy to encourage the development of a digital economy and on the National Broadband Plan which aims to provide fixed or mobile broadband access to the entire population by 2022. The country had the fastest mobile broadband data rates in Africa as of June 2020, a testament to investments made by the MNOs over the years.

Zimbabwe since 2019 has been hit by significant macro-economic difficulties, a climate-related drought, and the effects of COVID-19. Revenue from the telecom sector came under pressure from a number of recent regulatory measures and taxes imposed by the cash-strapped government, though to alleviate the effects of inflation, mobile service tariffs have been increased three times since mid-2019.

Chile’s Mundo Pacifico is looking to climb up the country’s fibre broadband rankings by becoming the second firm in the world to adopt the HyperNET solution.

Brazil-based Internet service provider Triple Play Participacoes set October 14 for its initial public offering.

Sri Lankan operator Mobitel is launching direct carrier billing in the market with Fortumo.

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance is reportedly looking to sell off a stake in state provider Ethio Telecom next month.

The United Arab Emirates’ telecommunications regulator set an ambitious target of 100% 5G coverage in the country by 2025, in a bid to become technology leaders of the network standard in the Middle East.

Turkcell has completed the next phase of its OSS transformation using Netcracker’s suite of solutions.

Chile’s Movistar is looking to sell a 10MHz block of 1900MHz spectrum via a private tender.

Kyrgyzstan’s regulator announced its series of spectrum auctions scheduled for this month has been called off due to a lack of interest.

Telecom Egypt has applied to the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) to acquire a holding of 2600MHz TDD spectrum.

MFS Africa and Moroccan mobile money provider inwi money are bringing smooth and affordable international digital money transfers and payments to Morocco.

Philippines-based telecoms group PLDT hailed its preparation in future-proofing its network which proved vital during the Covid-19 pandemic, and urged other operators to diligently bolster their networks, in order to prepare for a new normal of operating.

Six days after agreeing to the Dh800 million (about $218 million) deal, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company has reportedly formalised the sale of a 26 percent indirect stake in Khazna Data Centre to another UAE group, Technology Holding Company.

Nokia is to provide Nigerian mobile operator Tizeti with an LTE fixed wireless access (FWA) solution for high-speed internet services in Nigeria.

At the 12th Huawei User Group Meeting in 2020, Li Yao, deputy director from NOC of China Mobile Pakistan, delivered a keynote speech on "Energy-efficient Operation in the EM Market".

According to a report last week from Ecofin news agency, Algeria can soon expect reinforcements to its existing compliment of undersea fibre connections.

Recent news from India and Africa underlines the continuing growth of IoT-based solutions for a diverse range of applications.

The government of Colombia has chosen Speedcast International for a project to provide high-speed internet to 250 sites across rural Colombia.

Fintech start-up Thunes raised $60 million in Series B financing with Helios Investment Partners leading the latest round of funding, as the company continues expansions plans in emerging markets.

As another reminder of the growing strength of OTT services in mobile-dominated markets, OSN, (Orbit Showtime Network) has signed a multi-year partnership with Vodafone Egypt.

It seems that last week’s decision against MTN Ghana in the Commercial High Court in Accra is not going to be the end of the story.

Two Liberian operators have had legal problems in recent days, with both Lonestar Cell-MTN  and Orange Liberia finding themselves at the wrong end of regulatory decisions.

About 27 rural districts in Mozambique are expected to benefit from a rural connectivity project launched by the government last week.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) – the country’s telecommunications regulator – has announced a new final date for the long-awaited auction of high-demand spectrum.

The leading operator in Ghana has failed in its attempt to challenge its recent classification as a Significant Market Power by the regulator, the National Communication Authority (NCA).

Data centre operator Rack Centre has announced an expansion programme that will increase capacity in its Lagos campus in Nigeria.

There’s a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) angle to the recent announcement by Vodacom Mozambique of its major objectives for the next five years.

MFS Africa has partnered with global money transfer start-up PaySii to help facilitate remittances in Africa.